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Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Being in the Nutrition program at college means that I'm occasionally privy to some pretty neat foodie information. For instance, I have a copy of a diabetic diet management guide usually reserved exclusively for dietitians to use in their practice, I've had experience using a clinical dietary analysis tool for my own meals (who knew I eat on average 324% of my RDI of fibre and 210% of my vitamin C every day??). But what's actually more interesting to me, my classmates and even my profs on occasion, is the random information we bring from outside the clinical world. Usually a class (especially my Nutrition and Marketing ones) will find me rambling on about this and that that I've stumbled on through other bloggers, Twitter conversations (or eavesdrops!), or my own curiosity - I've been able to pass along more than one fellow blogger's URL to my colleagues, and even to two or three of my doctors as well!

Sadly (or gratefully, depending on how you look at it), most of what I come to share is in response to many of the food and nutrition related myths that are still being related as fact - even in "educated" circles! Things like how "it's so hard for vegetarians to get enough protein and iron", or how you have to food combine at each meal for real benefits. I've proven to my doctor that even I, with my system as messed up as it is, can get more than enough protein and iron (yay legumes, tofu, quinoa and buckwheat!), and shared the more unique "superfoods" like quinoa and amaranth to my classmates.

One of the other great recent things I've been able to share was my love of making home made breads. It's nothing new on this blog for sure, but to most people the art of making bread at home regularly is an archaic, and sadly lost, tradition. As Christmas season started coming around again this year and I started clearing out my pantry in order to make room for cookie supplies (!), I found a couple bags of those aforementioned "superfoods" in some of the boxes. While I knew some of them would find their home nicely in some Christmas cookies that afternoon, I had some bread to make for Mom too! What better way to share the decadence of these tiny, new-yet-old grains?

It is funny how even the most educated people can be so misinformed when it comes to nutrition. Go you for teaching your professor and classmates something new...the learning system should go both ways.